There are very many types of umbrellas, but by far the most common is the folding type with a canopy of sections of water-proof material stretched over ribs hinged to a center pole and opened by a series of corresponding intermediate ribs secured to a sliding cylinder, whose motion up and down the center pole causes the outer ribs to be opened or closed. Umbrellas may also be adapted for other functions such as walking sticks or package carriers.
Since the canopies must be flexible material, and must cover a substantial area to be at all effective, and since the ribs must be light to provide an umbrella that can be carried without too much difficulty, and flexible to extend the fabric of the canopy, the umbrella becomes very vulnerable to wind. The sight of umbrellas blown inside out in a storm is all too common on a windy day, and the umbrella is usually ruined by such a happening.
Many attempts have been made to reenforce umbrellas. Wendorf, as a typical example, teaches a Storm Umbrella in his U.S. Pat. No. 3,032,047, of May 1, 1962. The reenforcing includes a peripheral cord secured to each of the ends of the outer ribs, as well as a series of guy assemblies, also attached to the ends of the outer ribs, and connected to a sleeve on the center pole.
This will apparently keep the ends of the ribs from being drawn outwardly to turn the umbrella inside out in the usual manner, but the material of the canopy itself is still free to billow outwardly, and, even with the air vents in the canopy, the canopy might be drawn upwards to some extent.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved storm-proof umbrella. It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved storm-proof umbrella wherein the canopy as well as the ribs are secured in such a manner that they cannot be drawn upwardly or outwardly.